Since
1993, I am working as a full time Human Rights Defender, for rights of
survivors, in India. I live under constant death threats for my human rights
work. Threat, intimidation, attack, false implication and defamation are
occupational hazards of the process of social transformation towards a plural
democracy based on rule of law, non-violence and justice. But, mysterious
non-support of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), a premier human
rights institution of India, in my cases as a Human Rights Defender, is a real
life-time surprise for me.

Every time, the Honourable High Courts of UP and
Delhi have provided me with immediate and effective remedies, in comparison to
the Human Rights Defenders desk of the NHRC. I appeal to the NHRC for a Central
Bureau of Investigation (CBI) enquiry into the systematic attack on me and
Shruti Nagvanshi, due to People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights'
(PVCHR's) support to a woman survivor and her family. But, there is no step
towards any independent investigation by the NHRC, or real time support by
Human Rights defenders desk too. There is only one trend, that justice delay is
justice denied. (Case No. 4419/24/72/2013, 15443/24/72/2013, 15444/24/72/2013,
22763/24/72/2013, 23165/24/72/2013 & 39430/24/72/2013)

In this case, we criticized the national and
international players through our writing on blog and emailing such as this. Now, a few
international players are involved, to oppose us to establish the era of
'corporate fascism' in context of 'sectarian fascism' of Hindutva.

Simultaneously, Shruti Nagvanshi and Shirin Shabana
Khan intervened in the case of rape of a Danish woman, at Paharganj police
station in New Delhi. Both of them are first complaints to the NHRC, but the
NHRC did not send a report to them for comment, and marked the case as a closed
case'.

Edmund Burke rightly says, "All tyranny needs
to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." So,
we are continuously pursuing the case for justice. We received the consequence
of false implication by the police of Paharganj Police Station in New Delhi. I,
and associates of PVCHR, filed many petitions, but the NHRC responded as mere
eye-wash tactics. We received surprised responses from the Home Ministry of
India and office of Honourable President of India, but there is a mysterious
silence of the NHRC. Why?

India should develop a national law for the
protection of human rights defenders, and strengthen the capacity and mandate
of the NHRC's focal point on defenders.

The NHRC needs to establish and resource a
full-time dedicated focal point, to intervene in cases where human rights
defenders are at risk, and to investigate and promote accountability where
threats and attacks occur.

This matter concerns not only the life and the
reputation of a human rights defender, but also the very legitimacy of human
rights work in general.

Friday, August 28, 2015

Torture, practiced by states, non -state actors and
sometimes together, continues to be a global problem. Despite global resolve
for its prevention, it continues to be an accepted and practiced tool for dominance.
While the definition of torture is contested among organisations and
academicians, what is agreed is that torture involves both physical and
psychological methods of causing pain, distress or harm. Limited project based
findings have highlighted the scale of its prevalence and institutional
shortcomings in preventing torture, accessing justice and rehabilitation of the
survivors. Unwillingness by the states to recognize its prevalence and address
it has strained relationship between state and citizens.

In this background, People’s Vigilance Committee on
Human Rights (PVCHR), National Alliance on Testimonial Therapy (NATT) and
Department of Social Work, Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith, Varanasi in
collaboration with DIGNITY: Danish Institute against Torture are organizing a
Conference titled “Ending Torture: Collective concern” in Varanasi,
India on 15-16 November, 2015. Academicians, civil society groups,
representatives of human rights institutions and survivors from several South
Asian countries will present their thought and share their experiences.

Concept Note: CONFERENCE ON “ENDING TORTURE: COLLECTIVE CONCERN”

The overall goal of Initiative ‘Healing and
Empowering the Marginalized Communities of India’ is
to sustain a strong testimonial campaign contributing to eliminate
impunity for perpetrators of torture in India. Specific objectives include
strengthening a solidarity Movement of the Torture and organized violence -free
Villages, detention places and prisons and cities; promoting psycho-social support
of the survivors, their families and communities; and mobilizing civil
society and academia towards advocacy for justice and prevention of the
survivors of torture & lobby and advocacy for the survivors of TOV at the
Sub-Regional and International levels.

PVCHR principles are tested and aligned with the
human rights based approach. The dynamics of power and politics between rights
holders at local level to duty bearers at districts and national level are
analyzed thoroughly before and during action. The motto is from policy to
practice and practice to policy. PVCHR is bridging the capacity gap between
duty and rights holders and create channels for the voice of local communities
to be listened to by decision makers at district and national level.

PVCHR is active in the 3 themes– Urban, Detention
and Rehabilitation – and they perceive themselves as a grassroots psycho-social
organization. PVCHR is recognized in India and internationally for its work
against violence affecting poor neighborhoods of India. National and
international dailies and broadcasting companies report on torture and violence
with information from PVCHR. PVCHR is coordinator in the South Asian Network
against Torture (SANTI[1]). Interest from other human rights organizations in
the project strategies is growing and the outlook of PVCHR is determined
to work for building a regional movement on Testimonial Therapy covering
South Asia [2].

The ‘Model Village’ is the key change concept and
PVCHR is making substantial progress in reducing torture and violence in 70
villages as part of the preventive campaign ‘torture free villages’. The
concept has received tremendous attention and other Indian NGOs and they have
taken up similar principles. Prime Minister Modi has embraced the Model Village
perspective in his political speech-making on promoting local development.

The pre- post- effect study on Testimonial Therapy
(TT) was based upon 500+ torture and organized violence cases by PVCHR. Data
analysis and article writing was assisted by DIGNITY. The article concluded
that TT has a promising positive therapeutic effect on the survivors. TT
facilitator’s manual has been transformed into local languages and the training
on TT has been offered to other organizations. More than 100 Indian CSO
organizations are enrolled in the National Alliance on Testimonial Therapy.

India has twice given promises at UPR sessions for
ratification of the CAT. Broken promises are common in Indian politics and the
draft Anti-Torture law has not moved further by the select committee since
2010. The PVCHR review and recommendations to improve the draft law was based
upon the analysis and recommendations offered by the lawyer, Emily Reilly from
DIGNITY. Prospects for passing the law are good under the prevailing political
circumstances.

Torture, Rule of Law and Poverty: Analysis of the
individual cases of torture handled by PVCHR illustrates the critical failings
in a dysfunctional public justice system in India. Prison conditions in India
are appalling with all the known symptoms of poor correctional systems. There
is no unified correctional system in India but many different systems in the
individual states. The biggest problems are found in the district prisons. In
many ways PVCHR has made similar findings and analysis as in The ‘Locust
Effect’.

Communal Violence: Post 9/11 India has seen
increasing discrimination and communal attacks against Muslim and Madrasa
schools. Muslim areas are often target of anti-terror campaigns. 54% of
prisoners in Indian prisons are Muslims and 28% are Dalits. Right wing Hindu
fascists orchestrate planned communal riots, such as in Aligarh (Uttar
Pradesh). The attacks on Muslims are frequent and the consequences are
destruction of livelihood – a paradox as Muslims constitute the backbone of
Indian small scale industry. PVCHR has been able to document the role of police
in attacks on Muslims. Ultimo 2013 PVCHR completed the EU funded project
‘Police Torture against Muslim Minorities’. The project documented severe human
rights violations and the general socio-economic deprivation of Muslim
communities.

·Promoting
and sustaining healing and psychosocial support of survivors, families and
communities

·Mobilizing
civil society and academia towards advocacy for justice and prevention of the
survivors of torture, lobby and advocacy for survivors of torture at the
sub-regional and international levels. To bring sustain peoples voice for
ratification of UNCAT and OPCT

PVCHR needs your
support to make this conference a successful learning platform. PVCHR invites
you to submit the academic paper on the followings themes. The paper will
publish in the special issue “Voice of Voiceless” Journal with ISBN number.

Please send
preliminary abstracts (max 500 words), together with a short bio.

Topics:

·Hurdle and problem in implementation of United
Nation Convention Against Torture (UNCAT) and Prevention of Torture Bill (PTB),
2010

·Consequences of torture in context of mental health

·Community based rehabilitation of survivors of TOV

Deadline: 5th
November, 2015

Please send
preliminary abstracts (max 500 words) and article (up to 3000 words), together
with a short bio to pvchr.india@gmail.com

Margins to Centre Stage: Empowering Dalits in Indiaportrays
the journey of the powerless, marginalised Dalits, located in Varanasi district
of Uttar Pradesh, India to the triumph of hope, courage and social action over
despair, poverty, oppression and vulnerability with the help of the relentless
efforts put in by the volunteers of People’s Vigilance Committee on Human
Rights (PVCHR), India.

The critique chronicles how the innocent victims of
custodial-torture become active human rights defenders or freedom of
bonded-labourers is snatched from the confinement of feudal and capitalist
oppressors, and the change of weavers’ nightmares transformed into dreams,
optimism and motivation.

Authored by Dr. Archana Kaushik, Ph D, Associate
Professor, Department of Social Work, University of Delhi, India and Shruti
Nagvanshi, a social activist and co-founder of People’s Vigilance Committee on
Human Rights (PVCHR), India, the discourse would be beneficial for the
educators, students and practitioners of social work, managers and
administrators in welfare and development sector, NGO workers, policy planners
and all those who wish to participate in the future journeys of unwavering
human spirit towards emancipation.

Democracy, Socialism and Welfare State or Swaraj:
Prof. Mahesh Vikram

Why
at all I was prompted to write this, as there is no paucity of highly esteemed
scholars and thinkers and their serious writings explaining Democracy and
Socialism or Democratic Socialism for that matter.But, despite the horror of
widening disparity, inequality, exploitation, injustice and terror in the
predominantly Capitalist political economies of the present world what we see
just not an apathy towards these humanitarian political and economic doctrines,
i.e. Democracy and Socialism, but its total rejection with a jesting
environment about it all around us. Even those having sensitive hearts have
become confused about its real intent and form, not to talk about its
practicability as a distant dream. This is signaling a very deep crisis around.
This certainly concerns us, concerns us seriously. A number of serious
thinkers, leaders and friends have been alerting about it through their
statements and writings related to social, economic, cultural and political
aspects of this crisis. So it occurred to me to once again introduce the
history and the basic concepts of Democracy and Socialism to our present
generation pointing as well to the discrepancies as to what led to the follies
in its implementation as a system. Lest, there be no pledge to make its objective
and some form a reality on the ground as a Welfare State and a genuine 'Swaraj'
for the humanity. Hopefully, this humble attempt on my part may prove its
relevance a bit!!!

You are cordially
invited.

If you are unable to
attend program due to your prior engagement please do send delegates from your
prestigious institutions for making the program successful.​

Waiting your kindest
response.

With regards,

Prof. A.S. Inam
Shastri,

Ex. HOD
- Department of Social Work,

Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith,
Varanasi (U.P)

Lenin Raghuvanshi,
Founder and CEO-PVCHR

​

[1] SANTI
was established in 2003 and have participation of human rights organizations
from South Asia. They organize regional consultations on prevention
of torture and breaking impunity.

[2]Due
to long relationships with INSEC, PVCHR has been requested by INSEC’s founder
and reputed human rights defender, Mr. Subodh Raj Pyakurel, to organize a
testimonial training in Nepal in 2015.

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Margins to Centre Stage: Empowering #Dalits in #Indiaportrays
the journey of the powerless, marginalised Dalits, located in Varanasi district
of Uttar Pradesh, India to the triumph of hope, courage and social action over
despair, poverty, oppression and vulnerability with the help of the relentless
efforts put in by the volunteers of People’s Vigilance Committee on Human
Rights (#PVCHR), India.

The
critique chronicles how the innocent victims of custodial-torture become active
human rights defenders or freedom of bonded-labourers is snatched from the
confinement of feudal and capitalist oppressors, and the change of weavers’
nightmares transformed into dreams, optimism and motivation.

Authored
by Archana Kaushik, Ph D, Associate Professor, Department of Social Work,
University of Delhi, India and Shruti Nagvanshi, a social activist and
co-founder of People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), India, the discourse would be
beneficial for the educators, students and practitioners of social work,
managers and administrators in welfare and development sector, NGO workers,
policy planners and all those who wish to participate in the future journeys of
unwavering human spirit towards emancipation…

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Talks also centred on the fight against Islamic fundamentalism. Both the Indian and UAE governments condemned the actions of some states that use religion to support and justify violence and terrorism.

However, for Dr Raghuvanshi, India is not immune from religious fundamentalism, which lurks even among members of Modi’s party. "It is essential,” he said, “to break the cycle of poverty and the culture of silence in order to build lasting peace in India and the Middle East, and achieve a society based on justice. This requires confronting the violence of fundamentalist forces.”

“Modi has the right to express his faith,” the PVCHR president said, “but as prime minister of India on an official visit he should have insisted on secular democratic principles rather than promote his religion.

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

#India is a
multicultural, multilingual and multi religious country. The current
developments of educational provisions in India are much focused on school
education. Basic education for any religious Minority group such as Muslim will
be meaningful only if the system could encompass the cultural, linguistic and
other social values into it. Educational policies have long ignored the unique
educational need of the #Muslim religious group of the country. However, the
education system of the country has several issues to address. Among these
issues, first is the expanding access to appropriate learning provisions and
opportunities and the second issue is making education relevant, useful and
desirable for all. Madarsa is the most trusted educational institution of the
Muslim to provide cultural education which has been running since long in INDIA
and providing education for the Muslim community on traditional style. Many Madarsas
all over the country have been registered and included mainstream subjects in
their curriculum along with Islamic subjects. This is a new experience for both
the #Madarsa organizers as well as policy makers. Achieving quality education
along with other several indicators are also very important. This study was
intended to evaluate the worked conducted by the #PVCHR entitled,“Continuation
and expansion of elementary #education project for Muslim and Dalit children in
Jaunpur and #Varanasi Districts, Uttar Pradesh.” and sponsored by Sir Dorabji Tata Trust (#SDTT).

This evaluation exercise would not have been
possible without the hard work and untiring effort put in by everyone who was
associated with it. A heartfelt
gratitude to all those who helped in every possible manner. I would
sincerely like to thank Mr. Lenin
Raghuvanshi Director of PVCHR who gave me this responsibility to evaluate
the work done by the PVCHR in Madarsa of Jaunpur and Varanasi.

A special word of thanks to Ms. Saumya Gupta for her hard work and diligence, technical inputs,
word processing and final layout of the report. I would also like to express my
gratitude, for Dr. Rajeev Singh,Mr.
Dilshad Ahmed Khan, and Mr. Irshad Ahmed for their support to the project.

Finally I would like to gratefully acknowledge the
time, co-operation and effort of all the Principals/Heads, teachers, staff,
students and parents of the Madrasas. We visited across in helping us to
complete this evaluation.

Saturday, August 01, 2015

Before leaving to Germany on 4 May, I received an attack of defamation through the collective conspiracy of corrupt elements of police, administration and civil society. Civil society in a democratic state is generally defined as the space filled by non-governmental organisations and institutions that represent citizens' interest and the public will, and which are independent from the state. Hegel, the philosopher of the modern state, considered that civil society, with all its differences, made the nation state more efficient. But the elite section of Indian society, in nexus with corrupt police and administrators, want to maintain status quo of mind, of caste and patriarchy. So, they always desire to silence the voice of dissent, by hook or crook. Many times, they collaborate with international players who think in the same way of manipulation of power grabbing.